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Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan in December 2024, initially told a judge they would pursue a psychiatric defence in his state murder trial, but reversed course a day later, according to multiple reports.

Coverage Comparison

ABC Australia reported that Mangione's lawyers informed Judge Gregory Carro that they would argue Mangione was in a state of "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the alleged killing. Al Jazeera also reported the plan, noting that New York state allows murder defendants to argue they cannot be held fully responsible due to extreme emotional disturbance.

However, BBC and The Guardian reported a reversal. BBC's Sareen Habeshian wrote that Mangione's attorneys "reversed course a day after telling Judge Gregory Carro" about the defence. The Guardian's report said Mangione's legal team "would no longer pursue a psychiatric defense" in his upcoming state trial. The Jerusalem Post also reported that Mangione's lawyers withdrew plans to introduce evidence of an extreme mental health crisis.

South China Morning Post, on the other hand, reported that Mangione planned to argue he was undergoing an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the alleged killing, without mentioning any reversal.

The reports agree that Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both the federal and state cases against him.

Key Claims

  • Mangione's lawyers initially planned to argue he was in a state of "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the alleged killing, as reported by ABC Australia, Al Jazeera, and BBC.
  • The defence could have led to a conviction of manslaughter instead of murder, resulting in a lighter sentence, as reported by ABC Australia, BBC, and South China Morning Post.
  • Mangione's lawyers later withdrew the psychiatric defence plan, as reported by BBC, The Guardian, and Jerusalem Post.
  • Judge Gregory Carro said Mangione's lawyers informed him of the defence plan, which could lead to a conviction of manslaughter instead of murder, as reported by ABC Australia and Al Jazeera.
  • New York state allows murder defendants to argue extreme emotional disturbance, as reported by Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
  • Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both the federal and state cases, as reported by ABC Australia, BBC, The Guardian, and Jerusalem Post.
The reports also noted that Mangione's state trial is scheduled to begin on 8 September, and that his federal trial, involving stalking charges, is set to begin on 13 October. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment, and Mangione's lawyers did not immediately return requests for comment.

The killing of Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, drew attention to public anger over US healthcare industry practices. The reports mentioned that the words "delay," "deny," and "depose" were written on ammunition, a reference to how health insurance companies avoid paying claims.

The psychiatric defence, if pursued, would have meant Mangione effectively admitted to killing Thompson but under mitigating circumstances, as explained by legal experts cited in the reports. It differs from an insanity plea, which would allow a defendant to serve a sentence in a psychiatric facility rather than prison.

Judge Carro also ordered the unsealing of court records related to the defence's plan, despite objections from Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who said it would be prejudicial to his federal case.